India on Sunday said 42 terror camps are 'still active' in Pakistan and that lack of a serious attempt or effort by that country to dismantle them is the 'main cause of concern for us.'
Defence Minister A K Antony also said India did not expect a 'miracle' from the resumption of Indo-Pak talks which concluded recently at the foreign secretary-level here noting it was just a beginning.
Antony was talking to reporters after attending the Air Force show -- Vayu Shakti Fire Power Demo in Rajasthan -- witnessed by President Pratibha Patil and other dignitaries.
"There are 42 terror camps still active in Pakistan and there is no serious attempt or effort to dismantle them. This is the main cause of concern for us," he said when asked if Pakistan had kept its promise of stopping use of its soil for terror activities against India.
He also said the recent Indo-Pak talks could not be considered a failure as this was just a beginning and no miracles were expected from this effort.
"We took a considered decision on holding FS-level talks with Pakistan. We were not expecting miracles from the talks. It was just a beginning," Antony told reporters in Pohkran when asked if the talks had failed as Pakistan did not agree on checking terror activities against India from its soil.
The defence minister also made light of the recent threat by Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saaed against India.
"I would like to assure the nation that it is safe. Every inch of our land will be protected. We are not worried about any threat from any quarter. Our armed forces are prepared 24/7 around the year to tackle any threat from any quarter but at the same time we are not war-mongers," he said.
Saeed told a Pakistani TV channel that Pakistan will have to 'fight a war at all costs' if New Delhi is not prepared to hold talks
Antony clarified that the Air Force exercises were not a signal to Pakistan to fall in line. "No, not at all. There were no signals from this exercise. It was just to showcase the capability of our armed forces and assuring the nation. It also showcased the jointness of armed forces and their capability to defeat any threat from any quarter," he said.
On the recent attack against Indians in Kabul, Antony said the matter had been taken up with Afghanisat at the highest level.
"Our PM has directly conveyed our concern in this regard to the Afghanistan president and he has assured that they will soon conduct an inquiry and we will come to know about the truth," Antony said.
